Congress Authorizes National Medal

DARTMOUTH'S Bicentennial will come and go, recorded for posterity in pictures and thousands of written words, but nothing commemorating it will last as long perhaps as the national medals being struck in bronze by the U. S. Mint to mark the anniversary.

Reproduced above in actual size, three inches in diameter, are non-metallic proofs of the two sides of the medallion, designed by Rudolph Ruzicka of Norwich, Vt., one of America's most noted figures in the field of the graphic arts. The obverse features the Old Pine, a historic symbol relating to the very beginnings of the College. The reverse combines the arms and motto of the Earl of Dartmouth with those of the College. Gaudet Tentamine Virtus is translated as "Valor Rejoices in Contest." The small "P" on the obverse side indicates that the medallion was struck at the Philadelphia Mint; the letters "R d" on the reverse identify the designer, Rudolph Ruzicka.

Having a commemorative medal struck by the U. S. Mint is anything but a routine matter. It takes an act of Congress, approved by the President of the United States, to bring it about. And the government requires that the entire cost of producing such commemorative medals shall be borne by the institution or organization to which Congressional permission is given.

The bill authorizing the Secretary of the Treasury, through the U. S. Mint, to strike the Dartmouth College Bicentennial Medallion was introduced by United States Senator Thomas J. McIntyre '37 of New Hampshire on June 21, 1968. After a hearing before the Senate Committee on Banking and Currency, it was passed by the Senate in July. The House of Representatives in turn passed the bill on September 16 and it then went to the White House for President Johnson's signature.

According to the bill, "the medals shall be considered to be national medals within the meaning of section 3551 of the Revised Statutes (31 U.S.C. 368)." The bill also provides that the medals can be struck and furnished to the College in a quantity of not less than 2,000 or more than 25,000, and that no medals shall be made after December 31, 1970.

The College has placed with the U. S. Mint an order for two gold medallions and 5,000 in bronze. Official permission from the U. S. Treasury was necessary for the use of that much gold in the two special medals, one to be presented to the Earl of Dartmouth when he visits the College for Commencement in June and the other to remain in the permanent possession of the College.

The bronze replicas of the gold medallion will be released for distribution by the College after the June 15 presentation to Lord Dartmouth. Since the supply is limited, priority in filling orders for the bronze medal at $10 each will be given to Dartmouth students, faculty, alumni, and parents. An order blank for reserving medals will be found with the advertisement appearing on Page 5 of this issue.

The Dartmouth College Bicentennial Medallion is expected to be in great demand not only among Dartmouth men but also among numismatists. For these latter collectors the fact that it is being struck by the U. S. Mint as a national medal makes it an especially desirable item. Its value and appeal are also enhanced by the excellence of the design by such a distinguished graphic artist as Rudolph Ruzicka.